Development of an Urban As-Built Model: The Case Study of Aberdeen

Abstract: This paper is focusing on the local strategic development plan for the city of Aberdeen, UK, and examines the initiation of applying a regeneration plan to the city centre. For that purpose, Aberdeen City Council commissioned Robert Gordon University to develop a 3D as-built model of the city centre. The researchers developed a novel process to tackle data acquisition for urban scale as-built visualisations that would afterwards promote stakeholders' collaboration. A workflow was developed and tested with the aim to provide not only geometric accurate data of the current state but also meta-data in relation to historic and future applications. Terrestrial LiDAR systems were employed and rapidly advancing hardware and software was tested, evaluated and utilised.This project aims to have an impact to the 3D data acquisition in relation to urban scale projects that apply Terrestrial Laser Scanning technologies. Furthermore, the suggested workflow can be generalised for the production of urban scale as-built models for the purposes of design and planning decision making and delivery of sustainable infrastructure, transportation systems and overall sustainable communities. The paper concludes with further suggestions for the generalisation of the process and its adaptation depending on the application, i.e. transportation, green spaces.